Intelligent network address translator and methods for network address translation

ABSTRACT

An intelligent network address translation system and methods for intelligent network address translation. In one embodiment, a network packet is received from a host device, and a stored record associated with the host device is identified. The stored record includes information relating to connection parameters associated with the host device. Using the stored record, a processor determines whether the network packet should be assigned a dedicated address. If so, then the network packet is transmitted using communication parameters including a dedicated IP address. If the packet should not be assigned a dedicated address, then the packet is transmitted using connection parameters including a default public IP address and a port number.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/830,264 filed on Jul. 2, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,822,873, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/271,640, filedOct. 15, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,752,334, entitled “IntelligentNetwork Address Translator and Methods for Network Address Translation,”all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to communication networks. Moreparticularly, the present invention provides for a network addresstranslator that is configured to transmit packets via different modes ofnetwork address translation and to determine the appropriate mode ofnetwork translation to use for a packet.

BACKGROUND

Network Address Translation (NAT) is a term used to describe the methodby which Internet Protocol addresses (IP addresses) used within onenetwork are mapped (i.e., translated) to a different IP address knownwithin another network, in an attempt to provide transparent routing tohost computers. One network is designated the inside network and theother is the outside. Typically, a company maps its local inside networkaddresses to one or more global outside IP addresses and un-maps theglobal IP addresses on incoming packets back into local IP addresses.This helps ensure security since each outgoing or incoming request mustgo through a translation process that also offers the opportunity toqualify or authenticate the request or match it to a previous request.NAT also conserves on the number of global IP addresses that a companyneeds and it lets the company use a single IP address in itscommunication with the world.

Network Address Translation allows a single device, such as a gatewaydevice or router, to act as an agent between the Internet (or “publicnetwork”) and a local (or “private”) network. This means that only asingle, unique IP address is required to represent an entire group ofhosts. The impetus towards increasing use of NAT comes from a number offactors including, a world shortage of IP addresses, security needs andease and flexibility of network administration.

Traditionally NAT has two modes of operation—basic NAT and NetworkAddress Port Translation (NAPT).

Basic NAT provides for a group of public host IP addresses to beassigned to a NAT gateway device. In implementation, basic NAT operatesby providing for one to one mapping of private addresses to publicaddresses. This one to one mapping can either be done statically ordynamically. In static NAT, an unregistered IP address is mapped to aregistered IP address on a one-to-one basis (i.e., the IP address of thehost is always translated to the same address). In dynamic NAT, anunregistered IP address is mapped to a registered IP address from agroup of registered IP addresses (i.e., the IP address of the host istranslated to the first available address).

In contrast to basic NAT, NAPT maps all addresses in the private realmto a single public domain address. NAPT distinguishes network sessionscoming from the same or different private IP addresses by mapping theprivate source IP address and the private source port to a unique publicsource port. In this regard, the data packets are translated on thebasis of the unique public source port using a single public IP address.NAPT allows for mapping multiple private addresses to one public addressby associating each host with a port (i.e., source IP and source port tosource port mapping).

These two modes of operation, basic NAT and NAPT, both provide benefitsto the network provider and/or network user. Basic NAT allows forone-to-one mapping/translation exists between the private address andthe public address. However, basic NAT requires that a sizable pool ofaddresses be available for one-to-one mapping and, as such, basic NATinherently has a poor IP address reusability factor. In this regard,basic NAT is only capable of supporting as many Virtual Private Network(VPN) connections as the number of public IP addresses available in thepool at any point in time.

NAPT, which provides mapping all addresses in the private realm to asingle public domain address, does not require the same magnitude ofavailable public addresses. However, in the NAPT environment the needfor less public addresses is offset by a system that offers limitedfunctionality for certain protocols and applications, such as VPN.

Recent network advancements have attempted to provide the capability toimplement both basic NAT and NAPT in one comprehensive network system.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,431, entitled “System and Method forNetwork Address Translation as an External Service in the Access Serverof a Service Provider”, issued in the name of inventors Srisuresh etal., on May 2, 2000. The Srisuresh '431 patent describes an externalnetwork address translation service, which performs NAT and NAPT,concurrently. Essentially, this service is intended to reduce the costof stub routers by removing the need for network address translationfeatures in stub routers. In the Srisuresh '431 patent the basis ofchoosing NAT versus NAPT is the service agreed upon with the stubnetworks. This decision is made at the inception of the networkconnection and is fixed throughout the network session. Thus, theSrisuresh '431 patent does not teach a NAT versus NAPT decision processthat is adaptable throughout the network session to accommodate the typeof service desired by the network user.

Additionally, United States patent application publication number US2002/0010799, entitled “Communication Data Relay System and Method ofControlling Connectability Between Domains” by Kubota et al., publishedon Jan. 24, 2002 describes a relay system between two private local areanetworks. The teaching pertains to connectivity between differentrouting domains that might be implementing different routing protocolsand/or routing data. The relay system requires address translationbetween the two LANs and similar address translation with the Internet.The publication teaches that the relay may perform basic NAT and NAPT,or IP masquerading, depending upon the address translation module,algorithm, and lookup-table configured for each LAN. However, the Kubutopublication does not teach an address translation process that chooses amode of translation to efficiently or effectively allocate networkaddresses.

In the same regard, United States patent application publication number2002/0087721, entitled “Duplicate Private Address Translating System andDuplicate Address Network System”, in the name of inventors Sato et al.,published on Jul. 4, 2002 describes a duplicate network addresstranslating device which provides translation between private addresseson independent private networks and a global address on the Internet.The device allows separate private networks to maintain duplicate IPaddresses by using different protocols or by adding additionalindependent network address information. The disclosure teaches thatbasic network address translation (basic NAT) would be unable tocommunicate between private networks using duplicate identical IPaddresses on each of the independent networks. However, the duplicatenetwork address translating system described would perform networkaddress translation (NAT) or network address port translation (NAPT)between the private networks and the Internet via a global address. Theteaching relies on Virtual Local Area network (VLAN) tags andMulti-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) in combination with the source IPand source port to construct a translation table.

Thus, a need remains unfulfilled for an intelligent network addresstranslator capable of improved connectivity, security, and flexibleprivate network administration.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides for an intelligent network addresstranslation system and methods for intelligent network addresstranslation. The invention analyzes all data packets being communicatedbetween the private address realm and the public address realm andperforms a predefined mode of network address translation based on thepacket type. By analyzing every packet that the network encounters andadjusting the network address translation mode based on the packet type,the system and method of the present invention is able to adjust themode of network address translation dynamically during a network user'songoing network session. Additionally, by basing which mode oftranslation will be employed based on packet type the translation methodof the present invention insures that IP addresses are distributedefficiently and distribution of the amount of addresses is minimized.The system and methods of the present invention can accomplish this taskwithout limiting the level of security provided by the translationprocess.

In addition, the intelligent network address translation system of thepresent invention provides for a heightened IP address reusabilityfactor. This is apparent because the system provides for different hostsconnecting to different network destinations to use the same public IPaddress, concurrently. The system maps assigned public IP addresses todestination addresses and only denies re-using the same public IPaddress if subsequent network users are connecting to the samedestination address. Another advantage of the present invention is thattranslation address allocation does not depend on the order in which anetwork host accesses the system and the order of entry does notdetermine if a network host is capable of creating a Virtual PrivateNetwork (VPN) connection. In a basic NAT type system the amount of IPaddresses in the public IP pool will dictate how many network users canbe assigned a NAT address. For example, if the public IP pool consistsof 100 IP addresses, the first 100 network users that access the systemand warrant a network address translation will be assigned theaddressed. As such, the 101st user will be denied network addresstranslation. In the present invention, two factors prevent the systemdenying network address translation based on the order in which anetwork user accesses the system. First, network users that access thesystem may not require a unique address from the public IP pool (i.e.,they may only require assignment of the default IP address). Second, inthose instances in which a unique IP address is required, IP addressescan be re-used as long as the network user is attempting to access adifferent destination address than a previously connected network user.

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for network addresstranslation in a communication network includes the steps of determininga data packet type for a data packet being communicated from privatehosts to public network services, determining if the data packet typerequires assigning an IP address from available public IP addresses andassigning the data packet an IP address from the available public IPaddresses if a determination is made that the packet type requires such.Lastly the method includes, translating the address of the data packetto the assigned IP address.

The method described above may further include the step of assigning thedata packet a default public IP address and a source port if adetermination is made that the data packet type does not requireassigning an IP address from available public IP addresses. The methodmay also include the steps of storing the assigned IP address in anaddress binding (i.e., correlation) table that maps the assigned IPaddress to a data packet destination address and/or the step of storingthe assigned IP address in a correlation table that maps the assigned IPaddress to the private IP address. The storage steps allow for outgoingdata packets to be checked for previous network address translationprocessing, thus hastening data transmission and provides for aneffective IP address reusability factor.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, a method for networkaddress translation in a communications network is defined as, themethod including the steps of analyzing each outgoing data packets todetermine data packet type, determining, from multiple modes of networkaddress translation, a mode of network address translation for eachoutgoing data packets based upon the determined data packet type of eachoutgoing data packet and performing network address translation onoutgoing data packets based on the determined mode of networktranslation. The method allows for the modes of network addresstranslation to include the basic NAT-type translation method ofassigning a public IP address from a public IP address pool or theNAPT-type translation the method of assigning a default public IPaddress and a related source port.

The invention is also defined by a network address translator system forproviding network address translation in a communications network. Thesystem includes an address selector module that analyzes the data packettype of outgoing data packets to determine a mode of network addresstranslation and selects a translation address based on the determinedmode of network address translation and a translation module incommunication with the outgoing connection lookup module that performsnetwork address translation on outgoing data packets using the selectedtranslation address.

Additionally, the network address translator system may include anoutgoing connection lookup module that communicates with a connectionlookup table to determine if outgoing data packets have previouslyundergone network address translation and/or a connection creationroutine that compiles translation information, including the assignednetwork address translation for outgoing data packets, and stores thecompiled translation information in the connection lookup table. Inorder to reverse translate the incoming data packets, the system mayinclude a connection lookup table to determine connection parameters forincoming data packets and a reverse translator module that performsreverse network address translation on incoming data packets based onthe determined connection parameters in the connection lookup table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication network implementingintelligent network address translation, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system for intelligent network addresstranslation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for intelligent network addresstranslation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the sub-method for address selection withinthe method for intelligent network translation, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

The present invention is described as an intelligent network addresstranslator that is implemented in a communication network. Theintelligent network address translator analyzes each outgoing datapacket based on packet type (i.e., protocol and destination address) anddecides, based on the packet type, what mode of network addresstranslation will be applied. In one embodiment the modes of networkaddress translation will include mapping addresses in the private realmto a single public domain Internet Protocol (IP) address and source portor assigning a public IP address from a pool of available IP addresses.In effect, the intelligent network address translator of the presentinvention is able to dynamically change network address translationmodes during an on-going network session by recognizing changes inpacket types.

For example, a network user initiates a network session from a host,begins accessing a public network, and the intelligent networktranslator of the present invention recognizes the packet type. Uponrecognition of the packet type the translator assigns a mode of networkaddress translation based upon the functional requirements of theprotocol (i.e., the packet type). If the functionality of the protocolis not dependent on assignment of globally unique IP addresses perdestination server, then the data packets will typically be mapped to adefault public domain IP address and source port. If, however, later inthe same network session, the network user begins accessing a privatenetwork by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), the intelligentnetwork address translator recognizes a change in data packet type. Inthis instance, if the packet type and the protocol require globallyunique IP addresses to function, the data packets may be assigned apublic IP address from the available pool of IP addresses. As such, theintelligent network translator of the present invention is able to moreeffectively assign IP addresses and limit the amount of IP addressesthat are being used at any given time.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, thecomponents, process steps, and/or data structures of the intelligentnetwork address translator are implemented using a gateway device.Different implementations may be used and may include other types ofoperating systems, computing platforms, computer programs, and/orgeneral-purpose machines. In addition, those of ordinary skill in theart will readily recognize that devices of a less general purposenature, such as hardwired devices, devices relying on FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific IntegratedCircuit) technology, or the like, may also be used without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herewith.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a communication network 10 thatimplements an intelligent network translation system, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. The communication networktypically includes a plurality of user/subscriber hosts 12 that accessthe communication network in order to gain access to other networks orInternet services. The communication network also includes a gatewaydevice 14 that provides an interface between the plurality of hosts andthe various networks or other online services. Most commonly, thegateway device is located proximate to the hosts at a relatively lowposition in the structure of the overall network. However, the gatewaydevice can be located at a higher position in the overall networkstructure such as at a Point of Presence (PoP) of Network OperatingCenter (NOC), if so desired. Although the gateway device can bephysically embodied in many different fashions, the gateway devicetypically includes a controller and a memory device in which software isstored that defines the operational characteristics of the gatewaydevice. Alternatively, the gateway device can be embedded within anothernetwork device, such as the access controller or a router, or thesoftware that defines the functioning of the gateway device can bestored on a PCMCIA card that can be inserted into the host in order toautomatically reconfigure the host to communicate with a differentcommunications network.

The communication system 10 also typically includes an access controller16 positioned between the hosts 12 and the gateway device 14 formultiplexing the signals received from the plurality of hosts onto a togateway device link. Depending upon the medium by which the hosts areconnected to the access controller, the access controller can beconfigured in different manners. For example, the access controller canbe a digital subscriber line access module (DSLAM) for signalstransmitted via regular telephone lines, a cable modem terminationsystem (CMTS) for signals transmitted via coaxial/optical fiber cables,a wireless access point (WAP) for signals transmitted via a wirelessnetwork, a switch or the like. As also shown in FIG. 1, the networksystem typically includes one or more routers 18 and/or servers (notshown in FIG. 1) in communication with a plurality of networks 20 orother Internet services 22. While the communication network is depictedto have a single router, the communication network will typically have aplurality of routers, switches, bridges, or the like that are arrangedin some hierarchical fashion in order to appropriately route traffic toand from the various networks or other Internet services. In thisregard, the gateway device typically establishes a link with one or morerouters. The routers, in turn, establish links with the servers of othernetworks or other online service providers, such as Internet serviceproviders, based upon the subscriber's selection.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, thecomponents, process steps, and/or data structures of the intelligentnetwork address translator 24 are implemented using gateway device 14.Those skilled in the art will realize that the intelligent networkaddress translator may be implemented in other network devices, such astraditional routers, servers or the like. In addition, the gatewaydevice may communicate with external storage devices (not shown inFIG. 1) in order to implement the system for intelligent network addresstranslation of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the intelligent network address translationsystem 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Outgoing data packets that are being transmitted from the privateaddress space, typically a network host, to the public address space,typically a network service or the Internet, are communicated to theoutgoing connection lookup module 110. The outgoing connection lookupmodule is in communication with the session table 120. The session tableprovides a log of all current network sessions/connections, thecorresponding translated network address that has been assigned thecurrent network sessions/connection and other session/connection relateddata, such as source and destination addresses, session state, time outsand sequence number handling. In this regard, the outgoing connectionlookup performs a routine, in conjunction with the session table, todetermine if an outgoing data packet has a corresponding network addresstranslation entry in the session table. If a corresponding entry existsin the session table, (i.e., data packets determined to be similar havealready undergone intelligent network address translation) then the datapacket and the network address translation information are forwarded tothe translation module 130. The translation routine performs therequisite network address translation by altering address information inthe header of the data packet.

The outgoing connection lookup module 110 is in communication with aconnection creation routine 140. If the outgoing connection lookupmodule determines that no corresponding entry exists for the data packetin the session table 120 then the intelligent network address translatorproceeds to the connection creation routine. The connection creationroutine serves to compile the requisite connection information,including the translated network address that will subsequently bestored in the session table. The connection creation routine is incommunication with the address selector module 150. The connectioncreation routine communicates packet parameters, such as, protocol,source address and destination address to the address selector module.The address selector module is responsible for determining the mode ofnetwork address translation that is to be implemented based on thepacket type of the data packet.

The address selector module 150 is in communication with anaddress-selection binding table 160 and an address storage unit 170. Theaddress selection binding maps the network address translation to thedestination address and the address storage unit is the resource for allavailable network address translation addresses.

The address selector module 150 will analyze the data packet todetermine the packet type. Packet type will be indicated by theprotocols assigned to the data packet. Based on the packet type the datapacket will be assigned a mode of network address translation. In oneembodiment of the invention, predetermined packet types are specified asrequiring assignment of a default public IP address and port (i.e.,effectively performing NAPT-type network address translation) and otherpredetermined packet types are specified as requiring assignment of apublic IP address from the pool of available IP addresses.

If the address selector module 150 determines that the packet typerequires assigning a public IP address from the pool of availableaddresses then the address selector module will determine the datapacket's destination address. The address selector module communicateswith the address storage 170 to retrieve a public IP address. Thedestination address is then used to determine if the address-selectionbinding table 160 has an entry that corresponds to the destinationaddress and the retrieved public IP address. If an entry does exist forthe destination address, it means that the corresponding public IPaddress is being used for another session to the same destination byanother network user and therefore this public IP address cannot be usedfor the current new data packet. In this instance, the address selectormodule will access the address storage for another public IP address. Ifno entry exists in the binding table for the destination address thenthe address selector module assigns the new public IP address to thisdestination address. Upon assignment of the new IP address, an entry isplaced in the binding table to signify that the IP address correspondsto the destination address of the data packet.

The assigned public pool IP translation address and related parametersare communicated by the address selector 150 to the connection creationroutine 140 at which a session/connection table entry is compiled andforwarded to the session table 120. Additionally, the translationnetwork address and related parameters are communicated to thetranslation module 130 where the translation routine performs therequisite network address translation by altering address information inthe header of the data packet.

If the address selector module 150 determines that the packet typerequires assigning a default public IP address and a source port thenthe address selector module will assign the default public IP addressand bind the data packet to a corresponding source port of the devicethat implements the intelligent network address translation.

The default public IP translation address, assigned port and relatedparameters are communicated by the address selector 150 to theconnection creation routine 140 at which a session/connection tableentry is compiled and forwarded to the session table 120. Additionally,the translation network address and related parameters are communicatedto the translation module 130 where the translation routine performs therequisite network address translation by altering address information inthe header of the data packet.

Incoming data packets that are being transmitted from the address space,typically a network service or the Internet to the private addressspace, typically a network host are communicated to the incomingconnection lookup module 180. The incoming connection lookup module isin communication with the session table 120. The session table providesa log of all current network sessions/connections and, therefore, thesession table provides the correlation between the translated networkaddress of the incoming data packet and the private address. Theincoming connection lookup module is in communication with the reversetranslation module 190. The incoming connection module communicates theprivate address and related address information to the reversetranslator module and the reverse translator module reconfigures thenetwork address in the header of the data packet such that packets thatare forwarded to the private address space indicate the originallyassigned private address.

It should be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that themodules depicted in FIG. 2 can be formed in numerous different ways, butare typically embodied by the controller operating under softwarecontrol to perform the recited functions.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for intelligent network addresstranslation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.At step 200, a data packet arrives at the intelligent networktranslation system and, at step 210, the system determines whether thedata packet is an outgoing data packet. Outgoing data packets are datapackets that emanate from a private address space, such as a networkhost and are to communicated to the public address space, such as anetwork service, the Internet or the like. Incoming data packets aredata packets that emanate from the public address space and are to becommunicated to the public address space. This determination isnecessary because outgoing data packets will require network addresstranslation and incoming data packets will require reverse networkaddress translation.

If a determination is made that the data packet is an outgoing datapacket then, at step 220, the system performs a lookup to determine if aconnection exists in corresponding connection memory (i.e., sessiontable). The existence of a connection means that data packets from thesame private address have previously been mapped to a translated networkaddress during the current connection and, therefore, no furtheranalysis of the data packet is necessary prior to translation. As such,at step 230, the determination is made to assess whether a connection isfound in the connection memory. If a connection is found in theconnection memory then, at step 240, the process performs thetranslation using the connection parameters and translation networkaddress found in the connection memory and the outgoing data packets arecommunicated to the public address realm.

If a connection is not found in the corresponding connection memory,then at step 250, the process determines that a new connection entrymust be determined. FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified method for creatinga new connection (i.e., selecting a translation network address), inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For a moredetailed method flow for selecting an address see FIG. 4 and thediscussion that ensues, infra. At step 260, the process determineswhether the packet type of the data packet has been predetermined to be“special”. In this instance, “special” is defined as those packet typesthat will require a specified mode of network translation. The networkadministrator is capable of predefining, and changing based on need,which data packet types will be defined as “special”. Typically, packettypes, which are defined by the packet protocol, will be deemed“special” if they belong to a protocol that does not function if thepackets undergo port translation. In one embodiment of the invention,packet types that are determined to be “special” will be assigned, atstep 270, a public IP address from the pool of available IP addresses.If the packet type is not determined to be “special”, then, at step 280,a default public IP address is assigned and a source port is assigned.Once a translation address has been assigned, either from the public IPpool or the default public IP address the process performs thetranslation, at step 240, using the assigned translation network addressand associated connection parameters and the outgoing data packets arecommunicated to the public address realm.

If, at step 210, the data packet is determined to not be an outgoingdata it is then deemed to be an incoming data packet that emanated fromthe public address realm. As such, at step 290, an incoming lookupconnection process is employed to determine the connection correspondingto the translated network address in the data packet. At step 300 theprocess determines whether an entry exists in the correspondingconnection memory. If no entry is found, meaning the connection entrywas never established or entered for the outgoing data packets then, atstep 310, the data packet is dropped and no further communication of thedata packet ensues. If an entry is found in the corresponding connectionmemory, then the connection parameters and the private address mapped totranslation network address are used, at step 320, to reverse translatethe data packet back to the original private network address and thereverse translated data packets are then communicated to the privateaddress realm.

FIG. 4 provides a detailed method for address selection in anintelligent address translation system, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 4 is a more detailed flow of the methodillustrated by steps 260-280 of FIG. 3. At step 400, a packet typedetermination is made by analyzing the data packet and determining thepacket's protocol. Once the packet type is determined then the processassesses the packet to determine the mode of network address translationthat is required. The system of the present invention will predefinewhich protocols will dictate which mode of network translation. At step410, the process determines if the packet type is deemed special and,thus, requires basic NAT-type network address translation (i.e.,assigning a public IP address from the pool of available IP address).If, at step 420, the determination is made that the packet type is notspecial and, therefore, does not require basic NAT-type network addresstranslation then the data packet is assigned the default public IPaddress. In association with assigning the default public IP address, atstep 430, a source port is allocated to the connection.

If the data packet is determined to be “special” and, thus require basicNAT-type processing then, at step 440, a determination is made as towhether an IP address is available in the associated public IP pool andan entry corresponding to the IP address and the data packet destinationaddress does not exist in the address binding table. If such an IPaddress is available, then, at step 450, the IP address that isavailable is assigned to the connection as the translation networkaddress. This mapping of the assigned public IP address and thedestination address is added to the address binding table. However, if adetermination is made that no IP address is available then, at step 460,no network address translation can be performed on the data packet andthe packet is dropped from further communication.

By providing for mapping of public pool IP addresses to destinationaddresses and only denying reusability of the public pool IP address ifit has been mapped to the same destination address that a subsequentnetwork user desires to access, the present invention significantlyincreases the IP address reusability factor. This allows more potentialnetwork users to establish NAT-type connections and significantlylessens the dependency on when a network user accesses the system todetermine IP address allocation.

As such, the present invention is capable of intelligent network addresstranslation. The intelligent aspect of the translation system isrealized by analyzing different parameters of all data packets beingcommunicated between the private address realm and the public addressrealm and performing a predefined mode of network address translationbased on the packet type. By analyzing every packet that the networkencounters and adjusting the network address translation mode based onthe packet type, the system and method of the present invention is ableto adjust the mode of network address translation dynamically during anetwork user's ongoing network session. Additionally, by basing whichmode of translation will be employed based on packet type thetranslation method of the present invention insures that IP addressesare distributed efficiently and distribution of the amount of addressesis minimized.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed andthat modifications and other embodiments are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms areemployed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense onlyand not for purposes of limitation.

1. A method of network address translation, performed using a localnetwork system associated with a shared public IP address and at leastone dedicated public IP address, the method comprising: receiving anetwork packet at a network port; determining, using a processor incommunication with the network port, whether the network packet shouldbe assigned a shared public IP address or a dedicated public IP address,the determination being based at least in part on data relating to ahost device associated with the network packet; and transmitting thenetwork packet to an external network system, using communicationparameters including either a dedicated public IP address if the networkpacket should be assigned a dedicated public IP address based on thedetermination, or a shared public IP address if the network packetshould be assigned a shared public IP address based on thedetermination.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data relating tothe host device associated with the network packet comprises data storedin a connection lookup table, the data indicating communicationparameters associated with an address in the network packet, the addressbeing indicative of the host device.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe connection lookup table further comprises information indicatingwhich host computers require a dedicated address.
 4. The method of claim2, further comprising: receiving an incoming data packet from theexternal network system; locating stored connection parameters in theconnection lookup table corresponding to the incoming data packet; andtransmitting the incoming data packet, using the stored connectionparameters.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the networkpacket from the computer system comprises transmitting an outgoingpacket based on the network packet, the outgoing packet comprising aheader address information different from the address information of thenetwork packet.
 6. A network address translation system configured toprovide network address translation services in a communicationsnetwork, the system comprising: a processor; a computer readable storagedevice in communication with the processor; one or more networkinterfaces in communication with the processor, at least one of thenetwork interfaces being associated on the network address translationsystem with a shared public IP address; and an address selector moduleconfigured to perform, on the processor, a method comprising: receivinga packet from a local network via one of the network interfaces;identifying a host computer associated with the received packet;identifying a record stored in the computer readable storage device, thestored record associating an identifier of the host computer with anindicator of public IP address usage; and determining whether totransmit the received packet using the shared public IP address and aselected port, or whether to transmit the received packet using adifferent public IP address, the determination being based on theindicator of public IP address usage of the identified stored record. 7.The network address translation system of claim 6, wherein theinformation included in the received packet identifies the host device.8. The network address translation system of claim 6, wherein the storedrecord further indicates that the different public IP address isdedicated to the host device.
 9. The network address translation systemof claim 6, further comprising an outgoing connection lookup module thatcommunicates with a connection lookup table to identify the storedrecord, wherein the stored record further comprises connectionparameters associated with the host device.
 10. The network addresstranslation system of claim 8, further comprising a connection creationroutine that stores the stored record in the connection lookup table.11. The network address translation system of claim 8, furthercomprising: an incoming connection lookup module that communicates withthe connection lookup table to determine connection parameters forincoming data packets based on the source address of the incoming datapackets; and a reverse translator module that performs reverse networkaddress translation on the incoming data packets based on the storedrecord in the connection lookup table.
 12. The network addresstranslation system of claim 6, further comprising a packet typedetection module configured to receive an initial outgoing data packetfrom a host, determine whether the initial outgoing data packet isassociated with a protocol requiring a globally unique IP address, andallocate a dedicated IP address to the host if the initial outgoing datapacket is associated with a protocol requiring a globally unique IPaddress.
 13. A method of translating data packets being sent between aprivate network and a public network, the method comprising: receiving adata packet from the private network; determining, using a processor,whether a host device associated with the received data packet isassociated with a Network Address Translation scheme or a Network PortAddress Translation scheme, the determination being based on data storedin a computer-readable storage device in communication with theprocessor, the data including an identifier of the host device;translating the received data packet in accordance with a NetworkAddress Translation scheme or a Network Port Address Translation schemebased on the determination, thereby producing a translated packet; andtransmitting the translated packet to the public network.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein translating the received data packet in accordancewith a Network Port Address Translation scheme comprises: allocating asource port; and generating the translated packet based on the receiveddata packet, wherein the source IP address of the translated packet is ashared public IP address, and wherein the source port of the translatedpacket is the allocated source port.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereintranslating the received data packet in accordance with a NetworkAddress Translation scheme comprises: identifying a public IP addressfrom a public IP address pool; and generating the translated packetbased on the received data packet, wherein the source IP address of thetranslated packet is the identified public IP address.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the data stored in the computer-readable storagedevice comprises data indicating an association between the host deviceand a previous selection of a Network Address Translation scheme or aNetwork Port Address Translation scheme.
 17. The method of claim 13,wherein the data stored in the computer-readable storage devicecomprises data stored in a connection lookup table.
 18. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the determination is further based on a protocolassociated with the received data packet.
 19. The method of claim 13,further comprising: receiving a second data packet from the publicnetwork; reverse-translating, using the processor, the second datapacket, based on the data stored in the computer-readable storagedevice, thereby producing a reverse-translated second packet; andtransmitting the reverse-translated second packet to the privatenetwork.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein reverse-translating thesecond data packet comprises generating the reverse-translated secondpacket based on the second data packet, the reverse-translated secondpacket indicating the host device as the intended recipient.